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The transportation industry enables more than just a means of getting around. With the advance of high technology, changing consumer priorities, and the increased access to travel for much of the developed world, taking a car or train from point A to point B has evolved in ways not previously imagined. Digital technologies are a key component of the new mobility concept.

Next generation cars that can think for themselves have clear advantages over flesh-and-blood drivers: they don't get drunk or drowsy, daydream or get distracted by mobile phones and squabbling kids. As the driver is taken out of the equation, so too will a large proportion of accidents.

Worldwide, 1.24 million people die each year in road accidents and as many as 50 million are injured. Human error causes over 90 percent of these collisions.

Driverless cars, which can sense other vehicles on the road as well as obstacles and lane markings, are already proving much safer than human-driven cars. Driverless cars use a mix of GPS, cameras, complex scanners and sensors to detect vehicles, traffic signals, curbs, pedestrians and other obstacles. A central computer system analyzes the data to control acceleration, steering and braking. The software can simulate different eventualities to ensure safety on the road - and the results can be incorporated into the design and production process.

As well as detecting their surroundings using ultrasophisticated mapping systems, future cars will be able to communicate with each other, allowing as many cars as possible to fit on the roads. Connected vehicles will feature safety warnings that alert drivers of potentially dangerous conditions - impending collisions, icy roads and dangerous curves.

Experts say it's not the technology slowing our progress, but legal and practical issues such as who is responsible in the case of an accident, urban infrastructure planning, and the security of car computer systems. Once these details are worked out, and manufacturers have used sophisticated software tools to eliminate all potential problems, it won't be long until we're all a lot safer on the roads.